Twins recall Astudillo; Wilson to DL

MINNEAPOLIS -- After spraining his right ankle while attempting to back up first base Thursday, catcher Bobby Wilson was placed on the 10-day disabled list on Friday and utility man Willians Astudillo was recalled from Triple-A Rochester to take his place on the roster.
Wilson, who tripped over a bat, avoided serious injury, but will be on crutches for a few days while getting treatment on his ankle. The 35-year-old is hitting .178/.242/.281 with two homers and 16 RBIs in 47 games as the club's backup catcher to Mitch Garver.
:: Players' Weekend presented by Valspar Stain ::
"The news is pretty good," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "He rolled the ankle on the bat. No bone damage. No ligament or tendon damage. There is some bone bruising because it rolled as far as it did when the bones kind of rubbed against each other. But between the swelling, it's going to slow him down here some. I think we're probably looking somewhere in that 10-to-14-day range. We'll see how he does here in the next two or three days, though."
With Wilson out, Astudillo is expected to see time at catcher for the first time in the Majors. He was called up and made his debut in late June, appearing in seven games, but never caught despite starting 37 games behind the plate at Rochester. He instead saw action in left field and center field, at second base and third base and even pitched an inning.

"A little ironic he came up and didn't get an inning back there for us," Molitor said. "But given where we're at, he's going to get a chance. Maybe as early as tomorrow to get behind there. We had talked to people down in Rochester about him catching a little more as we headed toward September. Think he's gotten about five to six games the last couple of weeks. It has picked up a little more."
Astudillo, 26, is a unique player offensively, as he rarely walks or strikes out. He's hitting .276/.314/.469 with 12 homers, 17 doubles and 38 RBIs in 78 games with Rochester. He's struck out 14 times, compared to 10 walks. He hit .263 with a triple and three RBIs in his stint with the Twins, striking out once with no walks.
"He has not changed his hitting approach," Molitor said. "He was probably going to be a protection guy in September, but given the circumstances, he might get a few more opportunities."
Santana out indefinitely
Right-hander Ervin Santana underwent X-rays on Monday and an MRI exam Tuesday to get a better sense for why he's had so much trouble with his surgically repaired right middle finger. Molitor said there's nothing new from the MRI results, but that Santana will continue to be shut down. Another surgery has not been considered.
"There's enough lack of extension in that finger that it's concerning enough. We have to shut down the throwing," Molitor said. "There's still pain in that finger, but more so in the front side than where the incision is. I think they're trying to figure out some options in terms of what we can do to try to improve that going forward."
Gonsalves ready for second chance
Lefty Stephen Gonsalves, the club's No. 5 prospect per MLB Pipeline, will be looking for better results when he makes his second career start Saturday against the A's. Gonsalves lasted just 1 1/3 innings against the White Sox in his debut Monday and believes with his nerves behind him, he'll fare better this time around.

"It didn't come out positive, but it's a good experience," Gonsalves said. "I noticed I didn't take a whole lot of breaths in between pitches, I kind of just got rushed. The game sped up, as they say. It happens. I was just getting a little overanxious to throw the pitches, and [was] just kind of yanking everything. But we worked on slowing down my delivery in my bullpen."
Molitor to wear 'Doc' as nickname
It's not just the players who get to wear nicknames on the back of their jerseys as part of Players' Weekend, as Molitor chose "Doc" as his nickname to wear on the back of his jersey from Friday to Sunday. He said it was given to him by former Brewers teammate Pete Vuckovich, but wouldn't reveal its meaning.
• Shop Twins Players' Weekend gear
"It's a nickname I had along the way that's only used by certain people," Molitor said. "It's just a nickname. I've never really gone by one too often."
Molitor also clarified that he doesn't believe "The Ignitor" is a nickname, despite being called it throughout his Hall of Fame playing career.
"That's a label," Molitor said. "That's not a nickname."